Hawaii debut

David Roark, David Roark

With its fun recreation features and restaurants, its comfortable rooms, and its combination of Disney magic with Hawaiian beauty, tradition and relaxation, Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in HawaiÔi, offers a new way for families to vacation together on the island of Ôahu.

With its fun recreation features and restaurants, its comfortable rooms, and its combination of Disney magic with Hawaiian beauty, tradition and relaxation, Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in HawaiÔi, offers a new way for families to vacation together on the island of Ôahu. (David Roark, David Roark)

Even as Disney celebrates the 40th anniversary of its Central Florida kingdom, it rolls out something new in the company portfolio: a resort in Hawaii that actually goes light on the Disney brand.

KO OLINA, Hawaii — The new Aulani hotel on Oahu sets out to replace the cliches of tiki torches, totem poles, bamboo furniture and tacky luaus with a resort that celebrates Hawaii's history, traditions and cultures sprinkled with just a small dose of Disney's trademark pixie dust.

A modern take on a Hawaiian resort that puts a premium on tradition, the $800 million Aulani in Ko Olina on the southwest coast of Oahu opened in late August with 359 hotel rooms, 460 time-share units, two restaurants, two bars, a spa and a conference center. The official grand opening was Sept. 22.

Though this premise seems more than just a bit ironic for a company that has built its brand on fairy-tale fantasy, Disney manages to pull it off with style, grace and beauty, resulting in a modern Hawaiian resort that delivers on its promise and its considerable marquee name.

The 21-acre resort, about 30 minutes from Waikiki, is worlds apart in look, feel and spirit from that tourist mecca of high-rise cement monoliths.

As I approached the Aulani with my wife, Nancy, and daughter, Hannah, 11, the rock and timber porte-cochere extended from the tallest of three A-frame thatch huts that serve as the hotel lobby.

Above, a pair of towers rose like modern interpretations of a Hawaiian fishing village — if fishermen could build a 15-story hotel.

Just inside, telephone pole-size timbers supported the cathedrallike vaulted ceiling that arches to a point. Geometric-patterned mats filled in the gaps between the spines to maintain the thatched-roof feel. Lights dangled from above in clusters of fishing nets like luminescent jellyfish. A verdant ribbon mural depicting island life wrapped the perimeter.

The open-air lobby was decorated with symbolic Hawaiian elements. Outside the lobby, a balcony overlooked the lush grounds with the pool (more like a water park) and the Pacific just beyond.

Water plays a central role, from the pool and the sunset-facing hot tubs to the saltwater snorkeling pool and the adult and youth spas.

The centerpiece of the Aulani's pool is Pu'u Kilo, a man-made volcanic outcropping with hidden stingrays, squid and crabs carved into the lava rock. Two water slides — one a zippy body slide through the dark and the other an inner-tube slide with plenty of airtime — start at the top of the peak.

Hannah's favorite part of the Aulani pool complex was the 900-foot-long lazy river that wound through misty caverns, under footbridges and around the resort's lush tropical grounds.

My favorite spot was the sunset-facing hot tubs, one cascading into the other. It was a great place to decompress while sipping a tropical cocktail. I was at my most relaxed just leaning on the edge of the pool, peering off at the horizon.

The most unique aspect of the Aulani's pool area was the saltwater Rainbow Reef snorkeling lagoon, an 8-foot-deep pool filled with 1,000 angelfish, tangs and butterfly fish.

It was the perfect introduction for a first-time snorkeler like Hannah and a second-time amateur like myself.

An all-day fee ($20 for adults, $10 for kids) included use of the snorkel equipment in the protected cove just beyond the Aulani's beach.

Nancy had been looking forward to the resort's Laniwai Spa, which offered massage therapies ranging from therapeutic, herbal and hot stone to shiatsu, Thai and traditional Hawaiian. She also opted for the $45 access pass that allowed her access to the vitality pools, "rain" showers and outdoor hydrotherapy garden.

As for the rooms, you pay according to the view — standard, island, poolside, partial ocean or ocean. The island-view rooms offer rolling green panoramas of Oahu's undisturbed countryside, save the midrise hotels to either side of the Aulani.

All the resort's hotel rooms measure in at a comfortable 382 square feet, with 16 suites ranging from 764 to 1,910 square feet.

Whimsical touches could be found throughout the room, from the pineapple-patterned quilt woven with hidden Mickeys to an outrigger canoe motif in the headboard to giant hand-carved fishhooks framing the wall mirror.

A flat-screen TV with a Blu-ray player (loaner DVDs were available in the community room) and hookups for video games (brought from home) sat atop a six-drawer dresser with a hidden minifridge.

Throughout the room, the hardwood doors featured random inlaid bow-tie joints used in Hawaiian woodworking.

Island art on the walls and floral print throw pillows added just enough aloha flavor. On the ceiling, a four-finned wooden fan added to the tropical feel.

Hannah's least favorite amenity: the free Wi-Fi that allowed us to download her classwork and homework while she was away from school.

Nancy's favorite touch: the swing-out vanity mirror in the bathroom for putting on makeup.

Just as promised, we found the Aulani surprisingly light on Disney and refreshingly heavy on Hawaii.

To book

The Aulani is not a budget hotel. Rooms start at about $400 before taxes. Call 714-520-7001 or visitresorts.disney.go.com/aulani-hawaii-resort.

Dinner isn't cheap

The restaurants at Aulani are expensive and limited, unless you like fine-dining food and prices at every meal. Here's an example of the meals we had at the resort.

On our first night, we made reservations at 'Ama 'Ama, Aulani's signature fine-dining beachside restaurant, which takes its name from the local mullet fish and its inspiration from 12th century Hawaiian fishing settlements. The restaurant, designed to look like a fisherman's waterfront home from the 1890s, features an international menu set amid a thatched-roof hut sprinkled with fishing gear.

For an appetizer, we shared the delicious Kalua pig with cheese croquettes and Serrano ham in a romesco sauce ($16).

For dinner, I ordered the goat cheese ravioli ($31) and asked for the recommended sauvignon blanc (though the wine never arrived). Nancy got the Chinatown duck breast ($40) and Hannah, who will never be a cheap date, went with the New York Strip ($41).

The highlight of the meal was the souffle potatoes side dish ($8), which looked and tasted like potato chips filled with air. For dessert, we shared a meringue mousse and a pineapple tart.

After dinner, I watched the sun set behind the low-lying clouds in what would turn out to be one of the most memorable moments of our vacation.

We all agreed the food at 'Ama 'Ama was good but not great. Pretty much standard high-end hotel food.

Dinner for three with cocktails came to $200 before tip. Not outrageous for a special dinner, but there was no way our wallet or waistline could afford to eat like that at every meal, even on vacation.

Overall, we found the food options lacking at the resort, and we quickly grew weary of dinner tabs for three in the $200 range. What the Aulani lacked most was a fast, casual sit-down restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I hope that's on an upcoming menu.